What aspects of a pastor’s weekly routine should remain consistent?

I am not sure what a “normal” week looks like for a pastor. We are often pulled in the direction of the greatest needs of the moment and regularly deviate from the original plan. There are, however, some aspects of my week of which I diligently try to remain steadfast, regardless the unpredictable nature of my week. I want to share 3 of those with you in the hope that pastors reading this will identify those “non-negotiables” in their week that help keep some stability to a pastor’s weekly routine.

1) Never make significant decisions on Monday

The cliché is for a pastor never to resign on Monday. In the spirit of that saying, I would add never make big decisions on Monday. Monday is the typical crash day for most pastors coming off the emotional high (or rollercoaster) of the Lord’s Day. The combination of discouragement and fatigue that usually accompanies most Mondays for pastors is nothing to be taken lightly. Some people will push for big decisions on Monday. Just ride it out. Tell them you will have an answer for them by mid-week. Read this post on how to overcome the Monday morning “hangover” for further help. Holding my big decisions and responses for many matters until at least Tuesday have been an essential part of my routine both to keep me out of trouble and stabilize my unpredictable schedule.

2) Sermon first draft is done by Thursday night

Yes, my Sunday morning sermon manuscript is pretty much done by Thursday and yes, I am often told I am a freak show because of it. This allows my family day on Friday to have fewer distractions and provides a true break from my sermon, which I am able to revise on Saturday with fresh eyes and a refreshed heart and mind. This also gives a few brothers in the church some time to read my sermon at my request and give what is almost always helpful feedback.

3) Saturday night run before going to bed

I exercise several times a week, but probably no time more important than my Saturday night run. Once the sermon is ready, kids are in bed, and my wife is unwinding for the night, I leave and go on a good, hard, long, jog (words I typically do not affiliate with running) to relieve stress and expend any extra energy that might cause restlessness as I try to sleep. This is a sweet outlet for me from God that allows me to sleep well and be fresh and ready when I wake up on Sunday.

These are 3 things I cherish in my routine among many others. They will be different for you. Whatever they are, identify them and stick to them. Pastors, they help regulate our crazy schedules more than we might realize. If you cannot identify these in your life because your life constantly feels out of control, you may need to create a few of these. You might be amazed at how much they help create a routine for the life of a pastor, which is far from routine.

Pastors, what are some of your non-negotiables in your week that help you?

4 comments on “What aspects of a pastor’s weekly routine should remain consistent?”

I guess I’m a freak show too, because with Friday as my family day also, I’m generally done the bulk of the groundwork for my sermon by supper on Thursday. As much as is reasonably possible, I’m “off” from Thursday supper until Saturday after lunch; I typically invest the afternoon on Saturday, in my office for a couple of hours revising, editing, and tweaking, and then for a couple of hours I move to being actually behind the pulpit rehearsing/practicing.

I don’t take Mondays as a day off (Friday instead, as above) because I generally want to hit the ground running following Sunday. And, my young family deserves more of my physical energy than I usually have to give on a Monday.

The article was written by someone who is seems to be managing a lot of stress and expectations in his life. His ‘routine’ is more about personal stress management. But if we are to “feed [His] sheep” then we need to tend to our soul. So i would say our routine should me more about nourishing one’s soul; i.e., time in prayer, reading and meditating upon God’s Word for it’s own sake, and not in line with sermon prep. a balanced social life where one remains in touch with one’s flock, and time with one’s family. 5 cents.

Jesse,
If this is the one and only article one has read on this site, one might come to the conclusion you’ve arrived at… maybe. However, having been following this blog for some time now, I can attest that in the context of the rest of what’s been shared, the conditions of a pastor’s own soul care which you mention are implied in the author’s thoughts in this one article.

Stick around the blog for a while, Pastor Jesse, (am I correct in assuming you’re pastoring?) and I know you’ll be blessed as I and many others have been. 🙂

Great article! hadn’t actually thought about things like that. i think I might try the jog on Saturday night…. too many times I’ve tossed and turned in my sleep because of the ‘build up’ of Sunday (despite trying to relax etc).
Great blog – keep up the great work

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